Professional restaurant consulting is an increasingly common service that is provided in the restaurant and hospitality industry today. In part it’s because restauranteurs, owners and management alike are looking for help in growing, turning around or opening their businesses and have realized that a non-biased professional opinion and plan is an effective resource.
Still across the country, thousands of restaurants go out of business every year – sometimes before they celebrate their first anniversary. Many dining establishments can avoid the same fate if they implement the guidance of a seasoned restaurant consultant who can help in every aspect of operations.
As a chef, TRG co-founder Gerdy Rodriguez trained under some of the country’s most highly regarded toques – including Norman Van Aken and Angel Palacios. He mastered cooking and management skills, and became familiar with an array of culinary styles, while serving as executive chef at destinations like The Regent Hotel, the Five Diamond and Four Star rated Mandarin Oriental in Miami and the critically acclaimed La Broche.
With 17 years of experience of culinary development and management expertise, Rodriguez transformed his passion for the industry into helping restaurateurs with menu development, guest loyalty and maximized bottom line profits together with The Restaurant Group.
TRG is an all-inclusive restaurant consulting and management firm. For start-up and existing restaurants, the company helps launch the concept and handles everything from construction management, design, staffing, culinary and menu development all the way to the opening.
Featuring a team of hospitality industry professionals who, like Rodriguez, have diverse backgrounds as chefs and in hospitality management, TRG’s management division spearheads day-to-day operations. Existing restaurant clients hire the firm for everything from expansions and operational improvements to complete turnarounds.
“Restaurant consultants offer a better chance of success because we provide more resources and diverse experience at a greater value without the costly learning curve most people go through when opening a new establishment,” Rodriguez explained. “If you don’t have management and operations experience, it is especially difficult to successfully open and maintain a restaurant, which is why clients bring in an organization like ours.
Operational improvements are becoming the most common service requested, Rodriguez said. For many clients, TRG performs an operational analysis, in which every part of the business is evaluated.
“This benefits our clients because it (the operational analysis) is an unbiased professional analysis and plan of action tailored to making their respective business more profitable,” Rodriguez said.
With an economy that has still not fully recovered, and ironically increasing competition, maintaining a thriving establishment is not easy, thus the reason Rodriguez believes that more restaurateurs are hiring consultants who have strong industry experience.
“Commodity prices are rising and guest spending is flat, so restaurants are caught in the middle and on a budget that is tighter than ever,” Rodriguez said. “With all the right tools in place, solid training and proper supervision, restaurants should run smoothly and only require a tune-up every so often.
“We are finding that everyone from small independents to chains are hiring consulting firms for a specific project or opening, and then occasionally calling upon them again for a future project when needed, and saving on overall payroll expenses throughout the process.”
TRG is currently in the midst of build outs for numerous restaurants in Florida, California, Texas, the Caribbean and South America.
“This is the time of year when restaurant owners are securing locations for new openings, and as a result we are building both their interiors and kitchens in time for next season,” Rodriguez said.
TRG specializes in computer-aided design (CAD), and also provides MEP and code compliance specs to architects, GCs and owners. Unlike many companies that implement kitchen design, TRG is a full-service firm that can handle project management from start to finish, even offering graphic design, menu design, and public relations.
“It is more effective for a restaurant to engage a team of industry professionals with a wide range of expertise for the time or services needed instead of hiring full time employees,” Rodriguez said. “We can offer quicker project turnaround times by working within a team environment and using proven operational programming to improve business.”
